MIAMI — Ryan Zimmerman is among the great comeback stories this year. In a steady fade in recent seasons — mainly due to a series of injuries, notably to his shoulder — Zimmerman went from hitting .218 with 15 homers last year to .330 with 19 at the break this year.

He also has been friends since childhood with David Wright, both growing up in the Tidewater area of Virginia. The Nationals first baseman said he texts several times a month with the Mets third baseman, and when asked if his comeback could be informative or inspirational to Wright, who has yet to play this season due to problems stemming from spinal stenosis, Zimmerman said: “His stuff has been more serious than my stuff. I actually try to talk to him about everything but that stuff. But I hope he plays again. It would be unfortunate that a player of his stature go out not playing, but like this.”

Brad Hand is in what even he referred to as a “crazy” spot as an All-Star — returning to Miami after failing as a Marlin and representing a team, the Padres, likely to trade him between now and the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

Bryce Harper said, “I don’t like the 395 [to drive to work],” but besides that “I love playing in D.C.”

The Nationals right fielder said he tries to live in the moment and not cheat himself or the team, but knows his free agency after 2018 has been discussed for years because of the combination of his talent, star power and that he will have just turned 26 when he hits the market. There is wonder if he can top $400 million in a contract, perhaps even $500 million.

“I know it is fun talk for fans of baseball,” Harper said. “It is part of the world we live in and the way things are, everyone wants to know about everything and have an opinion on it. It has been talked about for 4-5 years and it will be talked about for another year and a half.”